stephenbaumanartwork

Studio Log #3, Joy & Drawing

Added 2025-08-19 15:31:49 +0000 UTC

The question of subject matter can feel overwhelming because the world is filled to the brim with suggestive input (cue video clip of social-media-feed-doom-scroll). Everywhere there is something that could be drawn- but the truth is that not all of it matters equally to you. The key is to notice what actually stops you—what makes you look longer than you expected. That is the distinct signal that cuts through the noise.

Making is always tied to sharing. We don’t just enjoy a thing privately; we want to pass it on. When a song moves us, we send it to a friend. When a lesson deepens our understanding of a subject, its straight onto social media to post about it. We have an experience that stirs a feeling in us, and we move to share that feeling. Drawing is not different. The impulse to put something on paper is a way of saying, this caught me, and I want you to see it too.

So if you would like to make art, the choice of subject isn’t just about circumstance or tradition. It’s about what has already given you something, what has already pulled you in. What Rick Rubin calls, “the thing that you see and nobody else does.” That’s what deserves the work of being drawn. If you treat subject matter this way, the process becomes less about finding something “worthy” and more about recognizing what already feels alive to you.

For a representational artist, this is the most reliable compass: pay attention to what brings you joy, fascination, or even unease. If it stirs you, it has the potential to stir others.